Major flash flooding continues to slam parts of the Mississippi Valley, keeping some roads closed.
Flash flooding in Bentonville, Arkansas, April 28, 2021. (Photo: Aaron Hollinger)
One of the worst-hit areas since Wednesday has been northwestern Arkansas, where local airports recorded 2.25 to 3 inches of precipitation in their rain gauges. Bentonville saw some of the worst flash flooding, leaving people stranded in the high water. Several state highways in the region were still closed as of Thursday morning due to high water or washouts, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
A slow-moving frontal system is moving through the region, resulting in “training” — the same areas being hit by the torrential rain over and over again. Drainage systems can’t keep up, and waterways rise quickly.
Eastern portions of Oklahoma and Texas, in addition to southern Missouri, have also been flooded, with flash flood watches stretching all the way to southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. New and additional areas of flash flooding could develop Thursday in the watch areas.
As the storm system moves through the Southeast and Northeast later Thursday into Friday, the flood threat should weaken. However, there’s a chance for scattered areas of severe thunderstorm winds, large hail and a few tornadoes from Tennessee as well as northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, to parts of the mid-Atlantic.
Heavy rain could come back to the Mississippi Valley by Sunday.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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